According to dictionary.com the term “cognitive dissonance” refers to “anxiety that results from simultaneously holding contradictory or otherwise incompatible attitudes, beliefs, or the like.” This term perfectly explains the reaction many Donald Trump supporters are having over the Stormy Daniels scandal.
On Sunday night, CNN interviewed a group of female Trump voters while they watched the infamous Stormy Daniels 60 minutes interview as it aired live.
The long-anticipated sit-down interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper took place weeks after reports came out that the porn star was paid $130,000 by Trump’s personal attorney Micheal Cohen to keep quiet about the alleged affair she claims to have had with the former reality TV star. During the interview, Daniels spoke openly in detail about the alleged relationship for the first time, unfortunately describing sexual acts and pillow talk that most people would probably pay to forget.
But after hearing everything Trump’s alleged former mistress had to say, these women did not waver one inch in their support for their president.
One woman said she felt “sorry for her,” however, that wasn’t the sentiment from most on the panel who felt that she was prostituting her story for “money” and “attention.” While most on the panel said that they didn’t believe it happened because there’s no “hard proof.” (ugh…imagery).
“Should we believe the president of the United States or a stripper porn star?” Gina O’Briant elaborated. “I go with the president of the United States.”
As though, it really matters if Daniels was a porn star or a Sunday school teacher.
And while they openly admitted that they knew full well Trump wasn’t a “choir boy” before they voted for him, they claimed that recent allegations of extra-marital affairs were a part of a plot designed by the mainstream media to “define a narrative.”
“You are looking for a way to impeach my president that I worked very hard for,” Dr. Lynnett Bryant said.
But what about that delicious cognitive dissonance I mentioned at the beginning of this article you ask? Ah, don’t worry I’ve got you covered. Here it is, hot and fresh straight from the oven.
“Worst case scenario, if he slept with her, whatever,” Linda Churchwell later added. “That’s between him, the Lord, and his family. That is not about the job that he is doing in running our country, which he is doing an amazing job.”
Wasn’t that delightful? You see in their minds, while it’s unacceptable for President Bill Clinton to lie to the American people by saying “I did not have sexual relations with that woman,” it’s cool for Trump to tell the same lie concerning multiple women.
This reaction should be a wake-up call for anyone who’s still foolishly trying to argue, debate, and enlighten a die-hard Trump supporter. Stop wasting your time. In November, do what’s best for the country (which also includes the people who voted for Trump) and vote blue.
If we can replicate the intensity we saw during the March For Our Lives events that took place across the U.S. on Saturday, then we can neutralize or at least minimize the damage Trump can further do to our country.
